#6 Louisville Downs UConn's Tenacity to Win in 4th Quarter Woes

Caroline Ducharme dribbles by Louisville's Kianna Smith during their #7/#6 matchup on December 19th. Credit: Shelton Herald.

The UConn Huskies showed a class of sportsmanship over the Louisville Cardinals in a tough loss today. Unfortunate missed calls left UConn off the foul line for extra opportunities for some easy boards. Freshman Caroline Ducharme took charge in the fourth quarter and kept the Huskies in the battle.

Coming off a resilient win over the UCLA Bruins, the Huskies were determined to improve their season record. The Huskies led the first half scoring points off messy turnovers by the Cardinals. Dorka Juhász had seven points and three rebounds. After a stellar performance against the Bruins, Juhász continued to be an outstanding player for the Huskies. She finished the game with 15 points and 8 rebounds.

The Huskies got to the foul-line early with timely committed fouls by the Cardinals. Juhász and senior Olivia Nelson-Ododa were successful with their attempts. Three unlucky turnovers off travels led to the Huskies’ lowest number of turnovers in the past few games. On the offensive end, the Huskies missed the mark missing easy field goals. Nelson-Ododa struggled at the long-range shots while Evina Westbrook could not land most of her field goals. This was a surprise from the senior guard who led the team in their last game.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa drives the lane for a shot against Louisville's Liz Dixon. Credit: Jessica Hill

Senior Christyn Williams showed that she was back in the game today. Her drive towards the basket is always entertaining to watch as she glides over players. Sophomore Aaliyah Edwards came in the game when ONO got caught up in foul trouble. An unfortunate double-foul call was far from sportsmanlike by Olivia Cochran of the Cardinals. The official review did not show the obvious holding but ONO had to be called too.

Despite the loss, the Huskies improved their defensive efforts. The Cardinals scored heavily off three-pointers which became a weakness for UConn. Looking at the stats, the Cardinals made 17 of their 20 attempts on the arch, an eighty-five shooting percentage. Hailey Van-Lith and Ahlana Smith helped seal the win on the arch. The Huskies could not do the same. Ducharme was the only Husky to score off the arch while the only other player to attempt one was Williams. Freshman Amari DeBerry made an appearance today with no boards.

Caroline. Ducharme. What a freshman! In her second start for the Huskies, she has proved to be the star of this shortened bench. Ducharme led with 24 points, her new career-high. She has become a utility shooter, shooting from every part of the court. Ducharme can hit beautiful threes from well beyond the arch, scoring at pivotal moments for the Huskies. In the fourth quarter, she went on a 7-0 run before the Cardinals took the lead. What happened to the Huskies’ fourth-quarter lead? They committed nine fouls, most of them to help advance the clock.

One thing to note about this game was how impressive the Huskies played. Win? No, but they were determined to. This game showed how aggressive the Huskies can get. Juhász and Williams drove the ball to the hoop to get to the line. They need to do this every game from here on out. Ducharme was able to score off smart passes from ONO for the easy bucket. The Huskies also need to complete the extra passes to get even more opportunities to score. It opens up key players and gets them more points in the paint.

Dorka Juhász goes for the layup during the UConn v. Fort Hayes exhibition in November. Credit: Cloe Poisson

While Louisville won with the math, the Huskies won with sportsmanship and willpower to stay in the game. The conference games are next. These games should be the next important ones to focus on. Currently 1-0 in conference play, the Huskies will play their next seven games conference-based. It is crucial that the Huskies win these games. As their Associated Press ranking drops each week, conference play will help them get a top-five placement in their NCAA tournament region.

The next non-conference game is the Oregon Ducks on January 17th. The Ducks have also dealt with injuries this season. They are currently 6-4 this season. The Huskies lost to the Ducks in 2020 due to an outstanding performance by Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally. A shorten bench for both teams could mean victory for the Huskies. No one can be sure till the game is live, the same for every game.

Husky fans have been divided since Paige Bueckers’ injury during the Notre Dame game on December 5th. Many speculate she will play as soon as the 8 weeks of recovery time ends. Many say she will not play till March or next fall. Bueckers had knee surgery last Monday, also having ankle surgery last spring after the NCAA tournament. Blame is set to certain players for the two recent losses but the team played with the utmost determination today. Hopefully, Nika Mühl, Azzi Fudd, and Aubrey Griffin will be back in uniform by the New Year.

The Huskies play their second conference game against Marquette on December 29th.